Hopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, 25 miles (40 km) west of Boston.

The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day each April, and as the headquarters for the Dell EMC corporation.

Hopkinton was named for an early colonist of Connecticut, Edward Hopkins,[4] who left a large sum of money to be invested in land in New England, the proceeds of which were to be used for the benefit of Harvard University.

The trustees of Harvard purchased 12,500 acres of land from the Native American residents with money from the fund and incorporated the area, naming it in honor of its benefactor.

The Hopkinton Supply Company Building on Main St., located slightly west of the district, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Former factory worker housing in the center of town, contrasted against the more rural areas surrounding it, are visual reminders of Hopkinton's past.

When Boston seized Lake Whitehall for its water supply in 1894, the factories along its shores were closed or moved to other sites, as they were considered sources of pollution.

Within or near the Miscoe-Warren-Whitehall Watersheds ACEC (Area of Critical Environmental Concern), remains of large pits have been found.

Hopkinton gains national attention once a year in April as it hosts the start of the Boston Marathon, a role the town has enjoyed since 1924.

The town takes pride in its hospitality as runners from all over the world gather in Hopkinton to begin the 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run to Boston.

The neighborhood of Woodville is in the western part of the town, along Route 135 at the north end of Whitehall Reservoir.

Hopkinton State Park is in the northern part of the town, extending northeast into Ashland.

Echo Lake, in the southeastern part of town, is at the headwaters of the Charles River, which flows east to Boston Harbor.

The climate in Hopkinton tends to be hot and humid during the summer, with daily high temperatures averaging in the 80s.

It continues on consecutive evenings, usually three nights in total, until all articles in the Town Meeting Warrant have been voted upon.

Any elected or appointed board, committee, or town officer, or ten petitioning voters, may request that an article be included on the warrant.

Since that time, the town government has been appropriating public funds for employee salaries, cost of cleaning the Library, utilities and assistance with the purchase of books.

A gallery was built to connect the Library building with the adjacent Episcopal Church after extensive renovation in 1967.

A special feature of the reading room is a stained glass window with a motif of water fountain bubbling water flowing over an open book and the inscription on the page reads "The fountain of wisdom flows through books."

[25] The Town of Hopkinton has a public school system which serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Hopkinton offered a fee-based full-day kindergarten option for the first time during the 2010–2011 school year via a lottery system.

Hopkinton is the corporate headquarters of Dell EMC, a global manufacturer of software and systems for information management and storage.

Dell EMC, in addition to providing $1 million in annual real estate tax revenues, is a major contributor to the town's schools and recreational services.

Interstate Route 495 divides the town into east and west zones, which are connected by numerous spokes providing direct access to the airport and other communities in the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area.

Interstates 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) and 495, form an interchange on the northern border of Hopkinton and neighboring Westborough.

[29] The line also serves the communities of Newton, Wellesley, Natick, Ashland, Southborough, Westborough and Grafton.

[30] Direct rail service to Boston, to New York, and to many other points on the Amtrak network (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) is available through nearby Framingham.

CSX Transportation provides freight rail service and operates an auto transloading facility in nearby Framingham.

MassPort provides public transportation to all airport terminals from Framingham via the Logan Express bus service seven days per week.

[31] Worcester Regional Airport, a Primary Commercial (PR) facility with scheduled passenger service, is easily accessible.